Zoe Saldana slams Hollywood sexism

Zoe Saldana claims she was once told she was only hired to "look good in underwear while holding a gun".

The 37-year-old actress admitted she has been left horrified by sexism in Hollywood, including one particular incident when a producer called her to tell her to stop being a "difficult bitch".

She told Allure magazine: "[He told me] ‘I hired you to look good in your underwear holding a gun.’ I was told walking into this project that they really wanted me for the part, and that any input or ideas I had to please share them. That’s what I was doing, and this producer was so bothered by the fact that he had to disrupt his vacation to call me and tell me to stop being a difficult bitch. I thought, Wow, it’s real. It really happens."

However, Zoe revealed she has been overwhelmed by how supportive other women are to each other in the industry and she loves working with her fellow actresses.

She said: "Part of growing up for me has been seeing that being the only female in a cast is no longer the coolest thing. It’s lonely. I used to love it because I thought, Ooh, I got in! I’m a cool girl! But while all the guys were flexing and talking about their motorcycles, I was sitting there wishing I had women around.

"That love and support from the network of women around you, it made me really…I get emotional because if we continue to do that, we will be unstoppable. As opposed to nitpicking at each other for arbitrary things such as weight and hair and purses. It’s such minutiae when there are bigger issues that we have to be talking about, like equal pay and equal rights."